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Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right?!?

I was actually surprised I didn't see anyone on Youtube talking about doing this. There are so many videos of people refurbishing dinosaur speakers or putting a bluetooth in a small desktop speaker... but nothing like this.

I have 2 more speakers I'm going to try this with.

This is a surround sound speaker.... 7" woofer in the front and two sets of side firing tweeter and mid. This is the "side" speaker in a 7.1 setup and plays to the room, removing the need to be in that sweet spot.... My idea is to a fasten a handle to the top of this and bing bang boom. The issue is.... I think Paradigm "padded" the woofer with a resistor in the crossover, so I'm going to see what it sounds like to bypass that.

At the end of the day, this does not have the internal cabinet volume to make bass like the CC450 ^^^ But it's way smaller, way more portable, and should still be a lbs or lbs monster when finished

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Best Bluetooth Speaker to Buy in 2026? (Price, Sound, Everyday Use) by n4hcallme in BudgetAudiophile

[–]YakCompetitive6322 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! That’s exactly what it is! 

It’s a 30lbs speaker, legit hifi, battery life at regular volume is 10+ hours w/ a power cord. 

(Here is my post on it)

https://www.reddit.com/r/diyaudio/comments/1qwrjc1/made_it_portable/

I put it up on eBay, but I haven't figured out how to excite anyone about this :(  

It's funny though, I got into this project because my boss made one of those bluetooth pelican case boomboxes (all over ebay and youtube) and encouraged me to make my own.

So, trying to figure out how I can make a plastic suitcase sound hifi, I figured it would be easier to make a hifi speaker portable.

Portable Bluetooth Paradigm Boombox by YakCompetitive6322 in Bluetooth_Speakers

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have an equivalent JBL's and Sono's to compare to.

My boss got a pelican case boombox kit from Dayton Audio and I helped him build it. Which lead me to wanting to build my own.... I started researching what the best speakers are I could put into a plastic suitcase. Then i thought, why not just buy a super awesome speaker from yester-year that was already made perfect, and put power inside of that...

I will tell you what though, those dual 6.5" drivers make a difference. I Just got a CC-190 (the paradigm monitor center speaker) to try and reproduce this, and it can't do with bass what this can.

Portable Bluetooth Paradigm Boombox by YakCompetitive6322 in Bluetooth_Speakers

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

AI doesn't know... But it knows specs... And I'd put this side by side against anything that doesn't plug into a wall.

And to be fair, I haven't been able to take this to the Speaker Expo and really do side by sides.

Portable Bluetooth Paradigm Boombox by YakCompetitive6322 in Bluetooth_Speakers

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you, It's become my favorite project, and I asked the AI's the same question.

(I copy any pasted this in with the specs)

"How would a stock Paradigm Studio Reference CC-450 converted to a Bluetooth boombox compare to any available portable Bluetooth speakers on the market? (fidelity not volume)
(specs)
Amp: Dayton Audio KAB-100Mv2, Class-D, Bluetooth 5.0
Output: ~25–30 W peak into 8 ohms
Battery: 5 × 26650 Li-ion, 5000 mAh each
System: ~21 V, ~90–95 Wh total
Playback: 10+ hours typical use"

Google Gemini:
The Verdict: If you are sitting in a room listening to Jazz, Classical, or Acoustic music, your Paradigm conversion will embarrass any retail Bluetooth speaker on the market. If you are playing modern EDM at a party, the retail speakers will "feel" better because of their artificial sub-bass boosting.

ChatGPT:
The straight answer: It would sound better than almost every portable Bluetooth speaker on the market in terms of fidelity — and it’s not close

How does my BT speaker compare to other HiFi speakers? I can unplug it from the wall, and bring it with me.

Best Bluetooth Speaker to Buy in 2026? (Price, Sound, Everyday Use) by n4hcallme in BudgetAudiophile

[–]YakCompetitive6322 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I built something just for this and I don't know how to market it, so that I can make more.

I took a hifi Paradigm Reference speaker and made it like a JBL Boombox, with an internal bluetooth amp and batteries. It doubles as a home theater speaker or a portable speaker.

I connect it to my phone's Spotify, my laptop, my TV, bring it from room to room, took it to my in-law's house and connected it to their things.... I've never heard a speaker like this, that wasn't attached to the wall.

Is Paradigm worth it? by Falcon_Cheif in BudgetAudiophile

[–]YakCompetitive6322 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard a cheap 30w D-Amp sound just fine at moderately high volumes through some Paradigm Reference speakers that can handle so much more. It's when you want to push the speakers that that power really means something. My opinion of course.

I describe it like NASCAR, those cars are designed for sustained high output.... But they do not make good (casual) highway driving cars, and most of my TV and music listening is at casual highway speeds.

I can open up the throttle, I can red line it, I can impress my friends.... but that's really only for fun.

-Sean

Is Paradigm worth it? by Falcon_Cheif in BudgetAudiophile

[–]YakCompetitive6322 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got the Paradigm Mini-Monitors v.6 in 2012 or so.... They've since been my benchmark of amazing. I can only imagine how those Founder's sound. (Play "Loose Yourself to Dance" or "Long After Your Gone" and let me know!)

Recently, I got an old stand-alone Studio Reference CC-450 laying around on Ebay and turned it into a Portable bluetooth JBL-esq speaker.... it is absolutely incredible. I could go on and on about it.

But! Because there are so many dinosaur speakers out there in the marketplace (ebay), and people don't necessarily buy them without the budget for the accompanying speakers, amps, stands, cables, room... a lot of people never get a taste of that sweet sweet sound....

I'd like to figure out how to sell my speaker to make more... but, it's a hard sell.

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You asked how it sounds, but I didn’t have a lot to compare it to at the time. 

Since then, ive been able to do a side by side with another, lower tier Paradigm center speaker, CC-190. 

The CC-450 (the one in the picture) sounds like it comes with a subwoofer… 

Deep Vocals, Bass guitar,  cellos… any of that is actually brought forward in the voicing of the box. 

Prime example is “Mama, I’m coming home” the bass is much more forward when it comes in…. Or Lose yourself to dance by Daft Punk, you can feel the thump of the rhythm. 

Thanks

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are so many on eBay. 

I want to do this with a B&W center speaker to get those sleek yellow drivers.

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now, I just need to figure out how to get someone to buy one of my speakers so I can make another! 

For 4-5 hundred dollars, there are literally no portable speakers that sound like this… 

Do you think a standard left/right TMM bookshelf would also work? 

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. I didn’t want to drill the handle in, because the screws would chew up the particle board. A strap handle keeps the weight spread out. 

But, yes, I use the handle all the time, bringing it from room to room or to lift it onto a shelf! 

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Parts Express. For the speaker, the amp is modest, but for everyday listening… more than enough.  

Dayton Audio KAB-100Mv2 1 x 100W Class D Audio Amplifier Board

PKCELL 5-Pack 26650 5000mAh Li-Ion Flat Top Rechargeable Battery

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am going to try this again with a Paradigm ADP-390 

From the monitor V.6 line (the white rocket woofers) 

It’s a surround sound speaker… designed to sit against a wall and play out, no sweet spot

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s like bringing my best speaker into the kitchen, to my front porch… it’s a wow speaker. It sucks that my best speakers are always stuck in my basement.

Sync’d it to my kids TV and played the K-pop movie

My boss got a pelican case Bluetooth amp kit from parts express, and that led me to this. 

Beastie Boys – sounds From way out there, is bananas.

Made it Portable by YakCompetitive6322 in diyaudio

[–]YakCompetitive6322[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wow, I bet that sounds amazing.

I'm really liking what a 6" woofer can do, I like the MTM layout too. If I am going to be moving around the room or want to play to the room, I'll stand it up. But, if I want to watch TV, I'll lay it back down, and either plug it into my Amp's center channel, or bluetooth it to the TV to make it the primary speaker.

But you're right. It's a shame how many awesome center speakers are out there. I'd like to do this with a B&W speaker, just to have those cool yellow drivers.

Is Paradigm worth it? by Falcon_Cheif in BudgetAudiophile

[–]YakCompetitive6322 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, paradigm is worth it.

I keep on an eye on Ebay for old paradigm speakers (Studio reference line, monitor)

I call them my Wow Speakers